Travis Scott is a master at the album bundle. It propelled his 2018 album Astroworld to the top of the Billboard 200. He’s on pace to do it again with the streaming release of his 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo. The Houston rapper is pulling out all the stops when it comes to different album packages. He has different versions with different bonus tracks. He has a live version titled Live from Atlanta, and a chopped and screwed version. Nicki Minaj was the artist who got beat out by Astroworld in 2018, and she’s doing her best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Sabrina Carpenter dropped her album Short N Sweet the same day as Days Before Rodeo. She is the main competition for Scott when it comes to topping the Billboard 200. Carpenter saw the parallels with her situation and Minaj’s in 2018, and decided to highlight it. “This is for Nicki,” she tweeted on August 29. The gesture did not go unnoticed by the the rapper, who returned the love during an Instagram Live. Nicki Minaj shouted Sabrina Carpenter out, and urged fans to go and buy her album. “Shout out Sabrina Carpenter, shout out all the Sabrina Carpenter fans,” Minaj stated. It’s a much more measured response than the one she gave in 2018.
Nicki Minaj Shows Love To Sabrina Carpenter’s Fans
Nicki Minaj responds to Sabrina Carpenter’s tweet and she shouts her out on Instagram live
Sabrina tweeted “this one’s for nicki” earlier as she’s currently competing with Travis Scott for album sales for the #1 position pic.twitter.com/nXSoyOSFtF
Nicki Minaj infamously popped off during an episode of her Queen Radio show. She insulted Travis Scott for using bundles to boost his sales, and felt that her album should have been number one. “What we’re not gonna do is have that Auto-Tune man selling f*cking sweaters,” she said. “Telling you he sold half a million albums, because he f*cking didn’t.” Minaj also called out Spotify and the mother of Scott’s child, Kylie Jenner, for using their platforms to inflate Astroworld sales even further.
The plot thickened after Nicki Minaj showed love to the “Espresso” singer, though. Kanye West decided to enter the chat. West, who has been on bad terms with Minaj as of late, decided to repost a version of Scott’s album on his Instagram Story. Kanye West has a propensity for joining conflicts he has nothing to do with (just ask Kendrick Lamar), and he appears to have struck again. It’ll be fascinating to see if more artists pick sides in the unfolding Travis Scott vs. Sabrina Carpenter sales competition.
Back in the early days of social media, Myspace was king, and a now-iconic part of the experience was listening to the songs users would have on their profiles. That hasn’t been a common social media feature since then, but now Instagram is bringing it back.
How To Add A Song To Your Instagram Profile
On your Instagram profile, tap the “Edit profile” button. Then, scroll down to the “Music” option, and tap where it says “Add music to your profile.” From there, you can browse the songs available to use, select one, and then choose a 30-second portion of the song to use. To change the song, just remove the song currently in use via the “Edit profile” menu and then go through the selection process again.
As The Verge notes, Instagram launched the feature today in partnership with Sabrina Carpenter, who is currently using it to preview her song “Taste,” which hasn’t yet been officially released in full as of this post.
Meanwhile, in a recent interview, Carpenter said of her path to stardom, “I have dreams and goals, and I will say I’m a little bit of a freak manifester sometimes, which is a blessing and a curse, depending on how you look at it. I always knew deep down that this was something I would do with my life, and I didn’t ever really doubt that, even when sh*t was hitting the ceiling fan.”
Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Camila Cabello, GloRilla, and Rauw Alejandro were the first announced performers for this year’s VMAs, and now they’ve been joined by a few more acts: Lisa, Halsey, Benson Boone, and Lenny Kravitz. Of those four, Boone is the only one who will be making his VMAs debut: The White Lotus star Lisa was there with Blackpink at the 2022 ceremony, while Halsey teamed up with The Chainsmokers to sing “Closer” in 2016. As for Kravitz, he hasn’t performed during the VMAs since 1998, when he accompanied Madonna on “Ray Of Light.”
Taylor Swift (who is not expected to perform despite her The Eras Tour break) leads with 10 total nominations at the 2024 VMAs, followed by Post Malone with nine; Sabrina Carpenter, Eminem, and Ariana Grande with six each; and SZA and Megan Thee Stallion with five. Katy Perry will also be presented with the Video Vanguard Award and “perform a career-spanning medley.”
You can see the full lineup (so far) below.
2024 MTV Video Music Awards Performers
Chappell Roan
Sabrina Carpenter
Camila Cabello
GloRilla
Rauw Alejandro
Lisa
Halsey
Benson Boone
Lenny Kravitz
Katy Perry (Video Vanguard Award)
The 2024 MTV VMAs will air on September 11 (not September 10) on MTV.
In the 1994 movie Airheads, Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler play members of a rock band with big dreams. The story of the film is that the three decide to hijack a radio station in an effort to get their demo played on the air.
The idea was that fame and riches would follow, presumably. To be frank, I haven’t seen the film (sorry not sorry, my movie backlog is packed and Airheads is not above Air). I’m just aware of the general premise. Regardless, it sets up the point I’m about to get to: That movie synopsis reads as very ’90s and alien in relation to the music industry in 2024. Things are different now, both in terms of music itself and the ecosystem that surrounds it.
In times of change, it’s important to self-reflect and reconsider the things we value, what’s working and what isn’t. As I’ve aged, I’ve come to realize that one serving of vegetables per week isn’t part of a successful plan to remain alive, for example. I’ve also reached this question: Is landing a No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart today going the way of getting a demo on the radio in 1994?
My answer, to an extent, is yes: Getting a No. 1 single doesn’t matter like it used to. That’s a big-sounding claim and I don’t want to present it without nuance, so let’s look at some information.
In 2023, 19 songs were No. 1 on the Hot 100. In 2013, that number was only 12. The figures are shaping up similarly for this year, too: We already have 15 chart-toppers so far in 2024 with so much time left, versus just 10 in 2014.
A simple lesson in supply and demand: The more there is of something, the less valuable it is. Please indulge me briefly as we go back to 1953, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first two people to summit Mount Everest. It was a big deal! Since then, over 6,000 other people have done it, too. Climbing Everest is still a noteworthy challenge, especially when you consider the 200 or so people who didn’t make it and whose bodies are still frozen on the mountain right now. But, the gravity of the feat is definitely diminished. That chilling detour was to illustrate that as the distinction of having a No. 1 single becomes less rare, it becomes less impressive.
There are some external factors that impact the perceived value of a Hot 100 No. 1, too, that have nothing to do with the Billboard charts themselves (or Mount Everest).
For one, more ways of measuring a song’s success are available to us now, and these metrics can have different significance to different audiences. For example, perhaps fans who live their musical lives on Spotify care less about chart placement and more about streaming numbers, which have increasingly come to indicate the music many people most spend their time with.
Well, according to data from Luminate (as shared by Billboard), the most-streamed song in the US of the first half of 2024 was Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” with 448.7 million plays. Yet, despite being early 2024’s most popular song by a widely valued and impactful metric, “Beautiful Things” never wore the Hot 100 crown. It spent many weeks in the top 10 and even some time at No. 2, but never in the captain’s seat.
More anecdotally speaking, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” is a contender for the 2024 song of the summer. But, it never hit No. 1, despite consistently out-performing, for example, Taylor Swift and Post Malone’s No. 1 hit “Fortnight” on the weekly US Spotify charts after the collaboration’s first week (half-fortnight, if you will). It could be the year’s biggest song so far, but it’s not a No. 1 single in the US.
Then there’s TikTok. That’s a world that’s beyond me (aside from seeing viral TikToks on Instagram three weeks after they’ve already blown up), but I won’t diminish the impact it has on music culture and the value of musical success on the platform. Songs like Tinashe’s “Nasty,” Artemas’ “I Like The Way You Kiss Me,” and, somehow, Pharrell’s Despicable Me 4 song “Double Life” have all gotten major attention on one of the internet’s most-trafficked spaces. None of them have hit even the top 10 on the Hot 100.
To music fans who are mostly on TikTok and aren’t paying attention to the big Spotify favorites (a valid type of person that I’m guessing isn’t uncommon among the app’s users), those are the biggest songs, not some Hot 100 hit they stopped listening a hundred trends ago.
To be clear, this isn’t Billboard‘s fault. They haven’t passively rotted away as the world blooms around them. They regularly tweak the Hot 100 rules as they deem necessary, like they did with major changes in 2013 and 2018. But, it’s seemingly just impossible to keep up, to perfectly quantify and represent how consumers interact with the always-changing music industry.
I don’t mean to diminish the value of a No. 1 single. It’s still a tremendous achievement: Of the thousands and thousands of songs that have been released this year, only 15 of them have gone No. 1. 15! My point is more so that with how diverse and splintered the infrastructure around music consumption has become, the Hot 100 is no longer the singular, be-all-end-all authority on what the biggest songs are. It’s not the metric anymore.
Like getting a demo on the radio, it doesn’t mean what it used to.
A few months ago, it was announced that the 2024 MTV VMAs were set to take place on September 10. Well, last week, it was revealed that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris had finally agreed to a presidential debate… on September 10. The VMAs would have presumably gotten the short end of that viewership conflict stick, so MTV took action.
Today (August 12), it was revealed that the VMAs will not air live from UBS Arena on September 11 at 8 p.m. ET. As Billboard notes, MTV said in a press release, “Our fans are encouraged to tune in for the 9/10 debate ahead of music’s most iconic night.”
Additionally, MTV also announced the first round of performers: Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Camila Cabello, GloRilla, and Rauw Alejandro.
Meanwhile, the list of nominees was unveiled last week, and leading the lineup is Taylor Swift with 10 nods. Other notable nominees include Post Malone (who has nine nominations), Carpenter, Eminem, Ariana Grande (six each), SZA, and Megan Thee Stallion (five each). Fan voting for some categories is currently open until August 30, so find more information about that here.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul previously said of this year’s show, “We are excited to welcome back the MTV Video Music Awards to New York State. From its origins at Radio City Music Hall in 1984 to this September’s event at the UBS Arena, the VMAs continue to captivate millions, showcasing the very best in music video artistry. As we prepare to host this 40th anniversary event, let’s embrace the spirit of creativity and innovation that defines our state’s cultural landscape.”
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is gearing up for this year’s edition of the Outside Lands festival, which goes down from August 9 to 11. The 2024 line-up has heavy hitters like Sabrina Carpenter, Post Malone, The Killers, and more.
It’ll be a great weekend, so keep scrolling for more information about which artists are playing when and where.
Outside Lands Set Times For Friday, August 9, 2024
Heading up the first day are Real Estate at 1:15 (all times are p.m. and PT) on the Lands End Stage, Confidence Man at 2:15 on the Twin Peaks Stage, Shaboozey at 3:30 on the Sutro Stage, The Japanese House at 3:55 on the Lands End Stage, Tyla at 6:05 on the Sutro Stage, Reneé Rapp at 6:55 on the Twin Peaks Stage, Kevin Abstract at 7:20 on the Sutro Stage, The Killers at 8:25 on the Lands End Stage, Gryffin at 8:35 on the Twin Peaks Stage, and Daniel Caesar at 8:40 on the Sutro Stage.
Outside Lands Set Times For Saturday, August 10, 2024
Highlights from Saturday include Amyl And The Sniffers at 4:10 on the Twin Peaks Stage, Romy at 4:10 on the Sutro Stage, Schoolboy Q at 5:25 on the Lands End Stage, Grace Jones at 6:55 on the Lands End Stage, Channel Tres at 7 on the Sutro Stage, Sabrina Carpenter at 8:40 on the Lands End Stage, and The Postal Service at 8:55 on the Twin Peaks Stage.
Outside Lands Set Times For Sunday, August 11, 2024
Closing out the fest are BadBadNotGood at 3:50 on the Twin Peaks Stage, Chappell Roan at 4 on the Lands End Stage, Teddy Swims at 5:20 on the Lands End Stage, Killer Mike at 5:25 on the Twin Peaks Stage, Post Malone at 6:40 on the Lands End Stage, Victoria Monét at 7 on the Twin Peaks Stage, Sturgill Simpson at 8:10 on the Lands End Stage, Slowdive at 8:30 on the Sutro Stage, and Kaytranada at 8:40 on the Twin Peaks Stage.
The 2024 MTV VMAs are set to air live from New York’s UBS Arena on September 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Before then, though, there’s one big bit of info that has just been unveiled: the nominees.
Taylor Swift leads the pack with 10 total nods (as Variety notes), while Post Malone has nine and Sabrina Carpenter, Eminem, and Ariana Grande have six each. SZA and Megan Thee Stallion also both have five apiece.
There’s fan voting for 15 categories, and that’s open now until August 30 (although Best New Artist will be open until September 10). More information on voting is available here.
As for what you’d be voting on, find the full list of nominees below.
Video Of The Year
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records
Billie Eilish – “Lunch” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Doja Cat – “Paint The Town Red” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
SZA – “Snooze” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records
Artist Of The Year
Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Bad Bunny – Rimas Entertainment
Eminem – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
Sabrina Carpenter – Island
SZA – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
Song Of The Year
Beyoncé – “Texas Hold ‘Em” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records
Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me” – Generation Now / Atlantic Records
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us” – pgLang, under exclusive license to Interscope Records
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Island
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records
Teddy Swims – “Lose Control” – Warner Records
Best New Artist
Benson Boone – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
Chappell Roan – Island
Gracie Abrams – Interscope Records
Shaboozey – American Dogwood / EMPIRE
Teddy Swims – Warner Records
Tyla – Epic Records
MTV Push Performance Of The Year
August 2023: Kaliii – “Area Codes” – Atlantic Records
September 2023: GloRilla – “Lick or Sum” – CMG / Interscope Records
October 2023: Benson Boone – “In the Stars” – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
November 2023: Coco Jones – “ICU” – Def Jam
December 2023: Victoria Monét – “On My Mama” – Lovett Music / RCA Records
January 2024: Jessie Murph – “Wild Ones” – Columbia Records
February 2024: Teddy Swims – “Lose Control” – Warner Records
March 2024: Chappell Roan – “Red Wine Supernova” – Island
April 2024: Flyana Boss – “Yeaaa” – Vnclm_/ Atlantic Records
May 2024: Laufey – “Goddess” – Laufey / AWAL
June 2024: Le Sserafim – “Easy” – Source Music / Geffen Records
July 2024: The Warning – “Automatic Sun” – Lava / Republic Records
Best Collaboration
Drake Feat. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy ” – OVO / Republic Records
GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion – “Wanna Be” – CMG / Interscope Records
Jessie Murph Feat. Jelly Roll – “Wild Ones” – Columbia Records
Jung Kook Feat. Latto – “Seven” – Bighit Music / Geffen Records
Post Malone Feat. Morgan Wallen – “I Had Some Help” – Mercury / Republic / Big Loud
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records
Best Pop
Camila Cabello – Geffen / Interscope Records
Dua Lipa – Warner Records
Olivia Rodrigo – Geffen Records
Sabrina Carpenter – Island
Tate McRae – RCA Records
Taylor Swift – Republic Records
Best Hip-Hop
Drake Feat. Sexyy Red & SZA – “Rich Baby Daddy ” – OVO / Republic Records
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records
GloRilla – “Yeah Glo!” – CMG / Interscope Records
Gunna – “Fukumean” – Young Stoner Life Records / 300 Entertainment
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions
Travis Scott Feat. Playboi Carti – “FE!N” – Cactus Jack / Epic Records
Best R&B
Alicia Keys – “Lifeline” – AK Records / Gamma
Muni Long – “Made For Me” – Def Jam
SZA – “Snooze” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records
Tyla – “Water” – Fax Records / Epic Records
Usher, Summer Walker, 21 Savage – “Good Good” – Mega / Gamma
Victoria Monét – “On My Mama” – Lovett Music / RCA Records
Best Alternative
Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things” – Night Street Records, Inc. / Warner Records
Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit
Hozier – “Too Sweet” – Columbia Records
Imagine Dragons – “Eyes Closed” – KIDinaKorner / Interscope Records
Linkin Park – “Friendly Fire” – This Compilation / Warner Records
Teddy Swims – “Lose Control (Live)” – Warner Records
Best Rock
Bon Jovi – “Legendary” – Island
Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove” – Atlantic Records
Green Day – “Dilemma” – Reprise Records / Warner Records
Kings of Leon – “Mustang” – Capitol Records
Lenny Kravitz – “Human” – Roxie Records Inc. / BMG Rights Management
U2 – “Atomic City” – Interscope Records
Best Latin
Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Floresta Records / Republic Records / Universal Music Latin Entertainment
Bad Bunny – “Monaco” – Rimas Entertainment
Karol G – “Mi Ex Tenia Razon” – Bichota / Interscope Records
Myke Towers – “Lala” – Warner Music Latina
Peso Pluma & Anitta – “Bellakeo” – Double P Records
Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment
Shakira & Cardi B – “Puntería” – Sony Music US Latin
Best Afrobeats
Ayra Starr Feat. Giveon – “Last Heartbreak Song” – Mavin / Republic
Burna Boy – “City Boys” – Spaceship / Bad Habit / Atlantic Records
Chris Brown Feat. Davido & Lojay – “Sensational” – Chris Brown Entertainment / RCA Records
Tems – “Love Me JeJe” – Since ’93 / RCA Records
Tyla – “Water” – Fax Records / Epic Records
Usher, Pheelz – “Ruin” – mega / gamma.
Best K-Pop
Jung Kook Feat. Latto – “Seven” – Bighit Music / Geffen Records
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records
NCT Dream – “Smoothie” – SM Entertainment / Virgin Music Group
NewJeans – “Super Shy” – ADOR / Geffen Records
Stray Kids – “Lalalala” – JYP Entertainment / Imperial / Republic Records
Tomorrow X Together – “Deja vu” – Bighit Music / Imperial / Republic Records
Video For Good
Alexander Stewart – “If Only You Knew” – FAE Grp
Billie Eilish – “What Was I Made For (From the Motion Picture “Barbie”)” – Darkroom / Interscope Records
Coldplay – “Feelslikeimfallinginlove” – Atlantic Records
Joyner Lucas & Jelly Roll – “Best for Me” – Twenty Nine Music Group
Raye – “Genesis” – Human Re Sources
Tyler Childers – “In Your Love” – Hickman Holler Records / RCA Records
Best Direction
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records – Directed by
Christian Breslauer
Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit – Directed by Alex Lockett & Margaret Qualley
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Directed by Rich Lee
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Directed by Daniel Iglesias Jr.
Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Island – Directed by Bardia Zeinali
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Directed by Taylor Swift
Best Cinematography
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records – Cinematography
by Anatol Trofimov
Charli XCX – “Von Dutch” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Jeff Bierman
Dua Lipa – “Illusion” – Warner Records – Cinematography by Nikita Kuzmenko
Olivia Rodrigo – “Obsessed” – Geffen Records – Cinematography by Marz Miller
Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment – Cinematography by Camilo Monsalve
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Rodrigo
Prieto
Best Editing
Anitta – “Mil Veces” – Floresta Records / Republic Records / Universal Music Latin Entertainment – Editing by Nick Yumul
Ariana Grande – “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” – Republic Records – Editing by Luis
Caraza Peimbert
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Editing by David Checel
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records – Editing by Nik Kohler
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso” – Island – Editing by Jai Shukla
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Editing by Chancler Haynes
Best Choreography
Bleachers – “Tiny Moves” – Dirty Hit – Choreography by Margaret Qualley
Dua Lipa – “Houdini” – Warner Records – Choreography by Charm La’Donna
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloud Co. / RCA Records – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
Rauw Alejandro – “Touching the Sky” – Sony Music Latin / Duars Entertainment – Choreography
by Felix ‘Fefe’ Burgos
Tate McRae – “Greedy” – RCA Records – Choreography by Sean Bankhead
Troye Sivan – “Rush” – Capitol Records – Choreography by Sergio Reis, Mauro Van De Kerkhof
Best Visual Effects
Ariana Grande – “The Boy is Mine” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Digital Axis
Eminem – “Houdini” – Shady / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Visual Effects by Synapse Virtual
Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysic, Flawless Post
Justin Timberlake – “Selfish” – RCA Records – “Selfish” – RCA Records – Visual Effects by Candice Dragonas
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Visual Effects by Mathematic
Olivia Rodrigo – “Get Him Back!” – Geffen Records – Visual Effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston
Mohr, Karen Arakelian, Justin Johnson
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Parliament
Best Art Direction
Charli XCX – “360” – Atlantic Records – Art Direction by Grace Surnow
Lisa – “Rockstar” – Lloyd Co. / RCA Records – Art Direction by Pongsan Thawatwichian
Megan Thee Stallion – “BOA” – Hot Girl Productions – Art Direction by Brittany Porter
Olivia Rodrigo – “Bad Idea Right?” – Geffen Records – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please” – Island – Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
Taylor Swift Feat. Post Malone – “Fortnight” – Republic Records – Art Direction by Ethan Tobman
We’ve been spoiled in 2024. As we previously outlined in our list of the year’s best albums so far, we’ve been treated to new albums from folks like Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Vampire Weekend, Dua Lipa, Rapsody, and many more.
What’s wild is that there’s still so much to look forward to in the year’s closing months. Cardi B insists her long-awaited second album is dropping before 2025. Post Malone will complete his country pivot on F-1 Trillion. Sabrina Carpenter is set to continue her run as the year’s biggest breakout star with an LP of her own.
Ultimately, there’s something coming for everybody soon, so check out the most anticipated albums of the rest of 2024 below.
ASAP Rocky — Don’t Be Dumb (August 30)
Rocky has kept busy over the past few years with singles and collaborations, but as far as albums, fans have been waiting for a new one since 2018’s Testing. At long last, though, Don’t Be Dumb is set to land this summer and it’s set to include the 2023 single “Riot (Rowdy Pipe’n).”
Beabadoobee — This Is How Tomorrow Moves (August 9)
Something major happened between past Uproxx cover star Beabadoobee’s latest album (2022’s Beatopia) and her upcoming LP (This Is How Tomorrow Moves): She opened for Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. So, Swiftie eyes will be on Bea’s next one and there’s a lot to enjoy, including “Take A Bite,” “Coming Home,” and “Ever Seen.”
Big Sean — Better Me Than You (August)
It’s been nearly four years since Detroit 2, the latest album from Big Sean. He’s on his way back, though, with Better Me Than You, and if his just-announced new management deal is any indication, he’s looking to shake things up this time around.
Cardi B
Cardi has found herself on lists of most-anticipated albums for the past few years as fans patiently (very, very patiently) await the follow-up to 2018’s Invasion Of Privacy. Cardi had a disappointing dispatch on that front a few months ago, though, when she said she’d be “relaxing this year.” Later, though, she reversed course and promised that her next album, which has yet to be officially announced, is indeed coming in 2024.
There’s speculation that Eusexua is the title of Twigs’ upcoming album, and at the very least, it seems to be the name of a new song, as Vogue relays. The publication also described the song as having a “driving bassline” and Twigs called the upcoming project “a love letter to how dance music makes me feel,” while not specifically saying the album itself is dance music.
Halsey
Halsey is back (even if she’s not necessarily feeling awesome about it at the moment), as she had an album on the way, a project that comes after/amid a tough journey: Halsey recently said of the project, “When I started writing it, I thought it might be the last album I ever got the chance to make.” So far, we’ve heard “Lucky,” a Britney Spears- and Monica-sampling that sounds a lot more uplifting than the tone of everything before this sentence.
J Balvin — Rayo (August 9)
After releasing an album every year from 2018 to 2021, J Balvin fans have found themselves in a rare position: Amid an extended wait for a new album. Their suffering is about to end, though, as Rayo drops in a few days and it features the thumping SAIKO collaboration “Gaga.”
Jamie xx — In Waves (September 20)
Where’s that new album from The xx? They’ve teased new music a handful of times (here, here, here) in recent years, but we’re still waiting for their first new LP since 2017’s I See You. The silver lining is that Jamie xx has remained active in his solo endeavors, and his upcoming album In Waves (his first since 2015’s In Colour) features collaborations with Robyn and The Avalanches.
Del Rey confirmed this one herself, saying at a pre-Grammys event in January, “If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We’re going country. It’s happening. That’s why Jack [Antonoff] has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years.” She also indicated the project is called Lasso and at the time, it was expected to drop in September, although an official release date has yet to be revealed.
Latto — Sugar Honey Iced Tea
In June, Latto threw a big Birthday Bash concert in Atlanta, where she announced the title of her upcoming project, Sugar Honey Iced Tea. Given the prevalence of rap beef these days, some took the title as a dig at Ice Spice. Whatever the case, there’s no tracklist yet, but perhaps some of Latto’s post-777 singles will make the cut, like her 2023 hit “Put It On Da Floor.”
MJ Lenderman — Manning Fireworks (September 6)
MJ Lenderman has a bit of a double-life situation going on right now: He’s a member of successful indie rockers Wednesday while also earning acclaim for his solo material. Some considered his 2022 album Boat Songs to be one of the year’s best releases, and now he’s prepping Manning Fireworks, which brings his two musical worlds together as Wednesday bandmate Karly Hartzman has a feature on the album.
Nilüfer Yanya — My Method Actor (September 13)
Yanya has become a quick favorite in the indie world over the past half-decade, and for her third album, she’s drawing conceptual inspiration from the world of film. She previously described method acting as “a bit like being a musician,” continuing, “When you’re performing, you’re still trying to invoke the energy and emotion of when you first wrote it, in that moment. It definitely feels like you’re having to recreate or step into that headspace.”
Post Malone — F-1 Trillion (August 16)
Posty just follows his heart. He started in hip-hop, ventured more into pop territory, and now he’s in his country era. It’s off to a cracking start, too, as he landed a No. 1 single by teaming with Morgan Wallen for “I Had Some Help.” Indeed, he had some help making his debut country album F-1 Trillion, as it also features Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, and many other country favorites.
Sabrina Carpenter — Short N’ Sweet (August 23)
It’s hard to argue against Carpenter’s “Espresso” as this year’s song of the summer (although tunes from Kendrick Lamar and some others have cases, too). Carpenter has quickly become one of music’s biggest stars thanks to her down-to-earth personality and undeniably delightful songs, and there’s sure to be plenty of both on Short N’ Sweet.
Suki Waterhouse — Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin (September 13)
Toro Y Moi has done a bit of everything in his varied music career. It remains to be seen exactly what his next album, Hole Erth, will sound like, but he goes with a blend of alternative and hip-hop on “Tuesday” and honors Broken Social Scene on the dreamy “Heaven.” So, per usual, we’ll have to wait and see what Toro Y Moi does next.
The Weeknd
For well over two years now, The Weeknd has been teasing a trilogy of albums that features After Hours and Dawn FM. It’s still unclear when this arc of The Weeknd’s career will be resolved, but it appears to be soon: He unveiled a teaser video in July that strongly hints a new album is on the horizon, seemingly one about new life or rebirth. Both of the preceding projects produced hits like “Blinding Lights” and “Take My Breath,” so look forward to more bangers.
When inspiration hits you, no matter where, you have to give in. Despite being on a tropical vacation, Halle Bailey found a way to build a makeshift recording studio setup.
Today (July 23), the “In Your Hands” singer decided to treat fans to an impromptu show. Instead of debuting one of her unreleased tracks, Halle to put a fresh spin on someone else’s chart-topping tune. Equipped with an acoustic guitar and a microphone, Halle performed a spine-tingling cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s song “Please Please Please.”
Halle offered a simple explanation behind what inspired the nearly one-minute teaser clip: “Woke up with this song in my head. I love it .”
It’s hard to believe it now, especially since her leading role in Disney’s The Little Mermaid live action adaptation, but Halle has a soft spot for covers. Before Chloe X Halle broke through to the mainstream, the sister duo built their fan base by way of their YouTube channel riddled with cover of standout songs.
So, Halle’s angelic rendition of Sabrina Carpenter’s single “Please Please Please” is a subtle remember of her superstar roots. Users online quickly reminded newbies of this fact.
“The girlies should be scared when you cover a song! Your instrument is so angelic! ,” wrote one user.
the girlies should be scared when you cover a song! your instrument is so angelic! pic.twitter.com/AFGwxp9oqS
“I love that song. It’s like the hit of the summer. When they play that jam, I’m jamming.”
Those are the words of tennis icon Serena Williams, speaking during a panel at Essence Festival this past weekend. She was talking about Kendrick Lamar’s Drake diss “Not Like Us,” but Williams’ crowning of the tune begs the question: What is the “Song Of The Summer” for 2024?
It’s an unofficial distinction (well, Billboard has an official chart for it now) that annually carries some cultural weight. It’s also just a fun thing to think and debate about midway through the year. Technically, we’re only just at the start of summer, as the season officially runs from June 20 to September 22. There’s still so much summer left, so instead of handing out the title now, let’s look at the leading candidates at the moment, making the case for (and against) some of the most obvious contenders.
Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
The argument for: “Not Like Us” has everybody talking, so much so that Serena Williams is publicly discussing it. Rick Ross got punched (allegedly) over it. The song has reached “referenced in local weather reports” status. Plain and simple, it’s a mainstream hit.
The argument against: The song came on so strong in early May that it’s safe to wonder if it has already peaked. (The song’s recent well-received video demonstrates the track’s staying power, though.) Also, given that the whole thing is a Drake diss, it’s just not very nice! (Some of the following arguments against other songs may be equally flimsy. These are all beloved hits, after all.)
Post Malone and Morgan Wallen — “I Had Some Help”
The argument for: The longest-running No. 1 song on the Hot 100 of the year so far? It’s “I Had Some Help.” Pair that with the fact that this Malone and Wallen collab is currently the most visible crossover hit in the ongoing country music wave and it has a strong case.
The argument against: The main opposing force here is whether the song has enough juice on its own beyond the headline-making collaboration. Wallen and Post are two of music’s biggest stars and that certainly has helped the song’s trajectory. It’s hard to say if that will be enough to carry the tune through the hot months to come.
Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
The argument for: There’s something about country music that’s routinely perfect for summer, and just like Malone and Wallen’s single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is landing at just the right time. It has had a gradual climb up the Hot 100 and as of yesterday, it’s his first-ever No. 1 single.
The argument against: The biggest reason to say “no” to this one has nothing to do with the song itself, but its competition. “A Bar Song” is fantastic, but it’s just going up against some heavy hitters that have demonstrated bigger and more sustained success. But, maybe its newfound No. 1 status is the start of a run of its own.
The argument against: “Million Dollar Baby,” with its April release date, is older than the aforementioned songs. Given that viral hits like this often have relatively short shelf lives, this one very well could be a relic of viral history soon, well before summer is up.
Tinashe — “Nasty”
The argument for: Tinashe got to flex on her former label a bit with this one: The song is originally from April, but it started going viral on TikTok in June. Consequently, it has become her biggest solo hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The argument against: “Nasty” is really more of a viral hit than it is a chart hit so far: Despite its ubiquity online, it has yet to crack the top 40 on the Hot 100. “Nasty” could use some more reach before it truly enters the conversation.
Billie Eilish — “Birds Of A Feather”
The argument for: Billie is one of music’s favorite personalities, and she’s done it all by doing her own thing. She doesn’t chase radio-friendly hits, but that doesn’t mean she’s incapable of them. “Birds Of A Feather” is an example, a bit of romantic pop fun, and the people love when Billie gets a win.
The argument against: It’s still hard to tell the sort of staying power this one will have. It was only just released as a single last week, so at this point, predicting whether this will end up being the summer’s defining song would be a bold call.
Chappell Roan — “Good Luck, Babe!”
The argument for: Roan has been one of the year’s biggest breakout stars so far, so much so that it’s been challenging for her to handle. Leading the way is “Good Luck, Babe!,” which has swelled into her most significant hit to date.
The argument against: Chappell isn’t the most obvious of hit-makers. Sure, the song rules, but we’ve already seen one Kate Bush song top the charts this decade, it’s hard to imagine it happening again. So, who knows how much time this one has left in the summer sun. (It did just hit the Hot 100 top 10 for the first time yesterday, though.)
Sabrina Carpenter — “Espresso”
The argument for: Of course we had to mention “Espresso.” Carpenter was an emerging star before the caffeinated single, but the song absolutely took off and established Carpenter as a no-qualifier-necessary, S-T-A-R star. There’s also the fact that “Espresso” basically sounds like it was made to a summer smash, with its warm vibes and radio-friendly hook. Carpenter’s personality also just makes her a fun person to root for and listen to, which certainly works in favor of “Espresso.”
The argument against: Carpenter has moved onto pushing a new hit, “Please Please Please.” “Espresso” is still doing just about as well as the fresher single, though: “Please Please Please” had more Spotify streams in the US last week, but “Espresso” was No. 1 on the same chart globally. Ultimately, of all the songs on this list, “Espresso” may have the least working against it for “Song Of The Summer” consideration.
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